Kole and Ori's Infinite Playlist
by ElCapitan18
Summary: Snap shots of Kolyat Krios and Oriana Lawson's relationship as I imagine it using songs of my choosing. Follow this young couple as they discover that love can sometimes be painful, and some people are worth the ache.


The Citadel was a hive of activity, now more than ever. With the Reapers destroyed, and the mass relays out of working order, everyone had a part to play in reconnecting the galaxy. Or so the Council liked to remind them all. Kolyat mumbled an "excuse me" as he wove around a pair of salarians caught up in deep discussion.

His workday had officially ended and he was on his way home. After a quick shower he was going out for the night. Flux had a seat at the bar with his name on it. He wasn't big on drinking, but people watching was interesting enough to make him keep coming back. Shepard was the one who began the game, the only past-time she was able to do from the hospital bed she was stuck in.

_ "__Look at them all," she mutters, almost under her breath. He can tell that she's irritated and bored, a dangerous combination for a woman like her. Sharp emerald eyes glare out the door and into the hallway. "They're just busy little bees, carrying on with their lives; buzz-buzz, little bee, buzz-buzz."_

Kolyat turns to look over his shoulder, following her narrowed eyes to the life outside of her hospital room. The nurses breeze past the door, smiles on their faces and cheer in their eyes. Everyone has something to do and somewhere to be. Unlike Shepard, who can't even scratch her own nose. It's why she's so angry all the time. He'd be pissed too if he was cuffed to a hospital bed.

With his attention elsewhere she admits from behind him. "I like to watch them work. They're too scared of me to stop in and chat," probably because she scares them off. Kolyat didn't know her before she became hospitalized, but he couldn't remember her ever being this angry. "So I like to make up lives for them."

Humans are an interesting species. He can see why his father had fallen in love with this female, even if she is currently an unbearable beast. A nurse walks by the room, she's a short human with brown hair tied into a bun, and eyes the color of the oceans on the planet below.

Pointing her out to Shepard, Kolyat asks, "What's her story?"

Without missing a beat she says, "She's engaged to a Teacher's Assistant, despite her parents' fervent disapproval. She doesn't care that they're both so young, they're in love. Or at least she thought so."

Raising a brow, Kolyat returns his attention to the debilitated commander strapped down to the hospital bed. Shepard is very good at this game, evidence enough of her drawn out boredom. "She doesn't think so anymore?"

Shepard shakes her head. "She's met a beautiful asari dancer at Chora's Den. They had a conversation over drinks and it was enough to make her head spin. If she really loved her fiancé, how could she be so enamored by an asari that she just met?"

Kolyat fights a small smile from reaching his lips. "You're pretty good at this, Commander."

"When you have to live vicariously through other people, it's amazing the things you can make up."

Now Kolyat couldn't sit down in a public place without watching the people around him and imagining them more dramatic lives.

Since doing his time in community service, he'd been working his way into becoming a C-Sec officer. Aside from Shepard, and maybe Garrus, Kolyat didn't have an overflowing sea of friends. He didn't trust people enough to let them in, and he didn't care enough to give friendships an honest effort. Imagining up lives for strangers he would never meet, was as close as he was ever going to get to any of the people around him.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kolyat's thought-filled trek was interrupted by the sound of a hushed argument. He lifted his gaze from the path he'd been walking and sought out the source of the disturbance. _Don't get involved_. He was off duty. Whatever the problem was, it wasn't his problem. In the alley way, around the corner a human female was caught in an argument with a turian.

She was a small little thing; her dark hair cut short and pale skin colored blue by the lights overhead. The dress she wore was an elegant black, and she carried a violin case at her side. There was an impatient twist to her expression, dark brown brows furrowed by her irritation.

"I don't care who told you what," her voice spilled out of the alleyway and into Kolyat's ears. "I had nothing to do with Sanctuary. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

The turian lifted his arm, stopping the human in her tracks.

_Gods damn it_. Against his better judgment, Kolyat moved to intervene. He couldn't have stopped if he tried; his feet seemed to be moving on their own.

Stepping into the fray he interjected, "She said she was done, you should leave her alone."

Slowly turning to face to newest member of their confrontation, the turian's eyes narrowed on Kolyat. "I don't remember asking you, kid."

He ignored the glaring turian and placed his attention on the girl. Either he was misreading her facial expression or she was glaring at him too. Why did he even bother with this crap? He could never win. "Are you alright, Miss?"

"Yeah," she huffed. "I'm fine." It was a dismissal. The misguided little human thought that she didn't need his help.

Under normal circumstances he would have left her to her fate. He had done his part. If she didn't want his help then he didn't want to help her. Easy was that, typically at least. Now he hesitated. He couldn't leave her to deal with the turian on her own. She'd get hurt, and it would be his fault.

_Gods damn it!_ Gesturing for her to take a step in his direction he instructed, "Let me walk you home."

One of her dark brown brows arched at him. "No, really, I'm fine."

"You heard her," the turian turned to face Kolyat full on. Taking a step towards him he growled, "She doesn't need your help. Now get on your way and mind your own business, kid."

Kolyat sighed. Why was he doing this? Without another thought he also took a step forward. He answered the turian's growl with his own warning. "And I said leave her alone."

"Come here and make me, kid."

_Fine_. His fist flew by its own free will. The day had started out as normal and boring as usual, and then it had turned to this. The bones in his hand protested upon impact with the turian's mandible. When he moved to retaliate, Kolyat no longer stood where he had once been.

Aiming to end the fight quickly he readied his fist for, what was going to be, a knockout punch. Before he could get his momentum going, the human's shouting voice drew his attention.

"Stop it!" She yelled as she pulled on his shoulder to keep his fist from flying.

Her only success was in leaving him completely vulnerable to the turian's attack. He threw himself onto Kolyat, tackling him off of his feet and onto the ground. Pinned under his weight he began to punch Kolyat in the face.

With a forceful, "I said stop it," the human used her instrument case to whack the turian off of Kolyat and onto his ass.  
As he pulled himself onto his feet the turian rubbed the side of his head and grumbled, "You're not worth the trouble, human." Turning his back on the two of them he left without a backward glance.

"Are you okay?" She knelt down beside Kolyat as he pulled himself up onto an elbow. Before he could respond with a curt, _'__No, I'm not okay. I could have taken that asshole if you hadn't gotten in the way,' _her eyes narrowed. "You're bleeding." She made it sound as though it were an inconvenience. Where her tone was absent concern it could be found in her big blue eyes.

"Come on," she helped him onto his feet despite his vocal protests. "My apartment is right around the corner."

"Look, Lady, I'm fine." He tried to shake her grip off of his arm, but she was latched onto him like a parasite.

Tightening her hold on his arm she growled, "Will you just . . . Hold still!" When he stopped struggling under her grasp she huffed. "I'll take you up on that walk now." Offering him a small smile she reiterated, "My apartment is just around the corner."

Sighing, Kolyat relented. She was a pushy little human, and another confrontation wasn't something he wanted right at that moment. Without saying another word he followed the little human back to her apartment, consented to going inside, and appeased her by taking a seat on her sofa.

The woman's apartment was clean, well decorated and colorful. She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before reappearing with an ice pack and a tube of medi-gel.

Blue eyes pointed with irritation she grumbled, "That was the most pigheaded –"

"Excuse me?" his mouth hung open with speechless astonishment.

"– Imbecilic, inane, ill-advised thing I have ever seen." Kneeling down before him she pressed some medi-gel onto his forehead before holding the icepack on top of it. Though she moved with obvious frustration, her touch was gentle and surprisingly light handed.

Kolyat gaped at this petite little human. He had no words. Had he not just rescued her from some turian bully? Because he was under the distinct impression that he had just rescued her from some turian bully. He didn't have much experience in this sort of thing but, he would assume that she'd be at least a little appreciative.

_Of all the ungrateful_ . . . "How about a thank you?" This human had a lot of nerve.

"Thank you?" She scoffed. Putting just a bit more pressure onto his bruising brow, she said, "I had it under control. I'm not some damsel you needed to rescue."

The situation he stumbled upon hadn't appeared under control. He shooed her hand off of the icepack and replaced it with his own. With a shake of his head, Kolyat muttered, "It didn't look that way to me."

"Probably because you didn't stop to assess the situation before barging on in like a knight in shining armor. Did you?" She paused long enough for him to be able to sputter out an argument. When he opened his mouth to try she spoke over him anyway. "No, because if you had you would have seen that that idiot was about to apologize for harassing me."

At that Kolyat openly laughed at her. This poor little girl was soft in the head. "Apologize? You're delusional, Lady."

"Yes, apologize; just like you are going to do right now."

That caught him by surprise. "What?"

"Apologize for butting in when you should have been minding your own business."

"No," he met her glare with his own. "I saved your white human ass. I won't apologize for rescuing you."

A frown took her lips, displeasure in her blue eyes. "My white ass didn't need saving." Eyes narrowing, she demanded, "Apologize."

"No."

"Do it."

"Never."

Her glare was life threatening enough for him to surrender after a dramatic sigh and theatrical eye roll. "Fine," shaking his head he grumbled, "I'm sorry that you're too stubborn to accept help when it's offered to you."

"Stubborn?" Her mouth fell open incredulously.

"Yeah, stubborn."

Pointing at herself she clarified, "_I'm_ stubborn?"

"That's what I said."

Her lips thinned with her annoyance. "Are you always this childish, or did I just catch you on a good day?"

"That depends," he rejoined. "Are you always this bossy?"

"You haven't begun to see bossy, drell."

"And you haven't begun to see childish, human." The words fell out of his mouth before he thought them through.

The girl fought a smirk from her lips and failed. Kolyat's chest tightened at the sight of it, his blood warming with an emotion he was unfamiliar with.

"That's Oriana Lawson, to you."

The red ribbing of his frill felt like it was burning under the intensity of his blush. He prayed to every god and goddess that she couldn't tell. "Kolyat Krios," he feebly introduced himself.

Her smile deepened. For once she looked at him with more than irritation and annoyance. There was a hint of delight in her eyes. "Well, Kolyat Krios, I'd say that it was a pleasure to meet you, but under the circumstances I would be lying."

With a scoff he rebuked, "Well, meeting your acquaintance wasn't exactly the highlight of my day either, Oriana Lawson."

"I'll try not to lose sleep over it."

They sat awkwardly for a moment. Neither of them knew what to do now that the introductions had been made and he had been taken care of.

Gracelessly returning the icepack to her, he muttered, "I should probably go." even though he didn't want to. What he wanted to do was stay where he was seated and learn more about this strange, stubborn human.

"Yeah," she agreed when Kolyat had finally forced himself onto his feet. "Try to keep the heroics to a minimum while you're out there."

He strode towards the door. Over his shoulder, he commented, "Are you going to beat me over the head with your violin case if I don't?"

"I just might," Oriana teased as she followed him to the door. "Next time I see you I'll have an icepack ready."

His heart jumped against his will. Would there be a next time? He fought against the part of himself that hoped there would. Like he needed the trouble this little human would surely cause him. As the door closed behind him, Kolyat couldn't help a smile from stealing his lips. He wouldn't have imagined this up for himself, but life was far more creative than he was.


End file.
